Remember……

 

Battle For Normandy - solo play

Not much time free on Thursday as watching all the various D-Day commemorations on telly (sad that this will likely be last large event with veterans in attendance) so choose to have a play with old Battle For Normandy from Attactix Games.

Tough old task for Allies to gain all the victory cities, and so it proved (not helped by storm on turn 1) as Caen held solidly by Huns and Cherbourg never threatened.

Allies did open up a corridor between Gold and Omaha with St Lo falling but just not enough

A very basic introductory style game but no less fun for that and played to completion in less than 2 hours.

Initial set up

Turn 3 and Allies already struggling with losses mounting for both sides

Also attended remembrance service at local War Memorial in the evening 

In Flanders Field

 

For The Fallen..................

 

FOR THE FALLEN

by Robert Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

Britain mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond Britain's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

And a recently discovered newspaper photo of my great Grandfather Fred Campbell of 36th Ulster Division wounded on first day of Somme (along with his brother) but who thankfully survived the war when so many of their comrades sadly did not.

 

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we will remember them....................................

 

They shall grow not old.....................

 

They shall grow not, as we that are left grow old: 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 

At the going down of the sun and in the morning 

We will remember them.

Lest we forget........

We shall remember them...........

We will remember them......

NZ Haka for fallen soldiers...........

A moving tribute to fallen comrades (the silence at end is deafening) I felt moved to share

Newspaper article explaining background with video embedded:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2194895/New-Zealand-infantry-performs-Maori-haka-spine-tingling-farewell-fallen-comrades.html

YouTube link:
http://youtu.be/xI6TRTBZUMM

They shall not grow old..........................